Doll's Blood
by Jupe-san
Summary: Kaoru's older sister Megumi has always been obsessed with dolls. But one day when she gets a doll that comes with swords, Kaoru finds her hands and mind full of things she never considered before. KxK, BxTxA
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is my first fanfic, and probably a good gauge of the kind of things I'll be writing.

Sadly.

I blame this on Misaoshiru (aka Nutmeg, emphasis on Nut), as the idea for this evolved from an AIM conversation we had a couple months ago about Barbie dolls.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own Ken dolls or Barbie dolls or Kenshin dolls, though if there IS a Kenshin doll please point me in the direction of the nearest store that carries them so I can buy one. C:

Chapter 1

Kaoru watched detachedly as her thirteen year old sister, Megumi, hurriedly opened the bag their mother had just given her. Megumi had an obsession with dolls of all sorts - she had had it for as long as Kaoru could remember. Her room's walls were lined with shelves upon shelves packed with dolls, and both her closet and the space under her bed were filled to bursting with them. Every time a doll caught Megumi's fancy, she had instantaneously begged to own it, and her parents had never denied her pleading face.

Kaoru herself had never really liked dolls. She found much more enjoyment in swinging her bokken about in the family dojo and pretending she was fighting the bad guys from her Saturday morning cartoons. Megumi, being the perfect little lady she was, had always wrinkled her nose in disgust when faced with her younger sister's bokken and made some scathing comment about how a sweaty tanuki like her would never be wanted by a guy. In all honesty, Kaoru didn't care what her sister thought.

A sudden squeal of delight snapped Kaoru from her musings as Megumi held the box of her newest acquisition gleefully.

"She's so pretty!" Megumi crooned, hugging the box to herself, giving Kaoru a view of the back. Although Kaoru paid minimal attention to Megumi's obsession, even she knew that "Ken" dolls were supposed to be _male_.

"Meg-chan, it's a Ken doll."

Megumi's eyes snapped open and narrowed as she quickly turned the box over. Her clever retort died on her lips as Kaoru's observation was proved correct. Trying to salvage some of her dignity, she stuck her nose haughtily in the air.

"Actually, it's a Ken_shin _doll. But I think I'll call him Ken-san!" she bubbled happily, forgetting her anger in the euphoria that always accompanied a new doll. Rolling her eyes in disgust, Kaoru was about to turn away when she saw the front of the box. The doll inside _did_ look like a girl, with a thin face and long red hair tied in a high ponytail. His baggy 18th century style hakama and gi didn't help matters any. But what instantly told Kaoru that this was indeed a male doll was his eyes. His shockingly amber eyes were narrowed and intense, reminding her of some sort of feral beast. She could have sworn they glinted for a split second before Megumi began opening the box and pulling the Kenshin doll out of it. Suddenly, her nose wrinkled the way it did whenever she caught sight or scent of Kaoru practicing her kata.

"_Swords_," she said venomously, holding the tiny saya as though it was a slimy worm. Kaoru's breath caught as she stared at the perfect swords, so much prettier than her own wooden one. Impulsively, she spoke.

"If you don't want him, I'll take him."

Shock replaced disgust as Megumi looked at Kaoru's face, but was quickly masked behind a sneer.

"I should have guessed that the tanuki would want a doll with swords. Go ahead; take it. I don't want it any more," she said mockingly, sweeping herself into her room.

Kaoru stared, entranced, at the doll and saya lying on the floor where Megumi had dropped them. Shyly, she took the saya in her fingers and gathered up the doll and packaging before retreating to her own room to find a place for him to live. She never noticed as the doll's eyes glinted dangerously, his painted mouth quirking upwards at the corners.

* * *

Kaoru hummed contentedly as she set out the popsicle stick dojo she had made two years ago, when she was nine, and prepared it for Kenshin's use. Carefully, reverently, she took the saya and placed it on a dojo shelf. Satisfied with the arrangement, she placed the doll in front of his saya and turned her attention to the packaging. She read everything on the box thoroughly, paying special attention to the snippet of story about the Hitokiri Battousai that the doll was supposed to look like. She shifted her focus again towards the doll in question, her breath catching as his burning amber eyes bored into her own. Quickly averting her gaze, she stared instead at the saya resting on the shelf she had placed it on. Briskly, she shook herself and began to speak to the doll.

"You're the first doll I've ever owned, you know. You'll probably get lonely if I don't introduce you to some of Megumi's dolls. But maybe you like to be lonely," she mused, tilting her head as she once again stared at the red headed doll.

"But that's probably not true. Nobody likes to be lonely. They might like to be alone, but not lonely."

Shrugging slightly, she picked up the doll, leaving his swords behind, and approached Megumi's room. She raised her hand to knock on her older sister's door but let it drop to her side as she stared at the ground. What was she doing? She never played with dolls. She tried her level best to avoid her sister's room at all costs. So why was she now standing here now, a doll clutched in her left hand as she seriously contemplated walking into her sister's room and showing her plastic companion all the other inanimate objects Megumi had collected over the years? Swallowing thickly, she knocked quickly on the door before she could change her mind again. It opened after a brief shuffling to reveal a very annoyed Megumi, a half-dressed doll in one hand and a plastic shoe in the other.

"What do you want, tanuki?" Megumi asked, her eyes narrowed. Kaoru gulped and shakily raised the hand that held the doll.

"I thought he might be lonely since I don't have any other dolls..." she trailed off, suddenly finding her shoes very interesting. Megumi stared at her with wide eyes before her face broke into a devious grin.

"O-ho-ho-ho! The tanuki finally wants to act like a girl! Well, come on in. I'll give him a tour," she smiled, showing just a little more of her teeth than necessary.

Kaoru followed her into the room, gripping the doll tightly as she absorbed the blinding brightness of her sister's room. The walls had been painted bright pink, with a light yellow carpet and gauzy orange curtains that fluttered in the breeze that wafted through her open window. The bed was what brought the colors into harmony with each other, light yellow sheets and a pink and orange-striped comforter tying the color scheme together.

Megumi was most definitely a teenybopper.

Suddenly feeling nauseous, Kaoru fought the urge to rush away from the blinding colors and retreat to the safety of her own room. She would not falter. This was for Kenshin.

Wait.

She was doing this... for a doll?

She blinked owlishly, staring with incredulity at the narrowed amber eyes.

'You'd better be worth it...' she thought, irritated, before following Megumi around the room as she showed off her favorite dolls in each area.

"...And this is Katsura-chan, and this is Iizuka-chan, and this is Okami-chan," Megumi sang happily, reaching a shelf packed with dolls dressed similarly to Kenshin. Kaoru's gaze flitted between the dolls and finally came to rest on a female with long black hair and soulful brown eyes. Curiosity piqued, she pointed to the doll.

"Who is that?" she asked, reaching out her hand to brush the doll's hair out of her eyes. Megumi slapped Kaoru's hand away, narrowed eyes glinting with promise.

"Don't touch her. Tomoe-chan is special," Megumi hissed protectively.

"Tomoe-chan...?" Kaoru inquired, trying to ignore the sting of Megumi's slap on her hand. Megumi's eyes suddenly turned liquid, a dream-like expression flitting across her face.

"Tomoe-chan is engaged to Akira-chan," she purred, lifting up each doll in a hand and holding them close together. "But Akira-chan has to go to war, and Tomoe-chan gets sad. She doesn't smile much," Megumi said, sorrow tingeing her voice as she took the two dolls and placed them on opposite ends of the shelf. Kaoru was suddenly filled with compassion for Tomoe, though where she got feelings for a doll was beyond her.

"Maybe Kenshin can make her smile," she ventured, timidly holding up the scarlet-haired swordsman. Megumi scowled at her.

"Kenshin will have nothing to do with Tomoe-chan. She's far too special for _him_," she sneered, staring at him disgustedly. Suddenly, Kaoru was filled with indignation on behalf of her doll. Who did Megumi think she was, putting down her new friend so openly and completely?

"_I_ think Kenshin is better for Tomoe-chan than Akira-chan any day!" she huffed, narrowed eyes flashing. Megumi matched her glare with equal fire in her eyes.

"Akira-chan has more charm than a stinky old swordsman ever will!"

"I bet Kenshin would beat Akira-chan in a sword fight!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would not!"

"Would too!"

"Would no-" Megumi's reply was cut off as the door to the room suddenly opened, their mother appearing in the doorway.

"Girls, that's enough," she said firmly, striding towards them and laying a hand on each girl's head. The sisters glared at each other venomously, but complied with their mother's wishes.

* * *

Kaoru quickly strode out the door, her hand tightening around Kenshin in anger. She needed to cool down somehow. Immediately her thoughts turned to her bokken, and her frown lessened slightly. Kata always helped center her and clear her thoughts. Resolved, she slipped into her practice clothes and darted through the hallways to the dojo, where her bokken was kept. She placed Kenshin against a wall and picked up her wooden sword, at once feeling the tension drain from her body. A sigh shuddered through her as she got into position and began one of her kata. 

By the time her kata was finished, she had visibly relaxed, her mind at peace with the world, though she still felt a twinge of indignation when she thought of how Megumi had treated Kenshin. 'He doesn't deserve to be treated so,' she thought to herself as she put her bokken away and picked up the doll gingerly. 'He deserves to be cherished and loved, and I'll be darned if I don't do just that.'

Amber eyes flashed violet for a millisecond before returning to their original hard gold.

* * *

Kaoru tossed in her bed, unable to find sleep. Something was in the air, a tension that had never been there before, one that beat against her finely tuned senses and robbed her of rest. Moaning tiredly, she swung her feet to the side of the bed and padded to the kitchen for a glass of water.

What she saw upon returning to her room almost caused her to drop the glass.

Her brand new doll lay on the floor, splattered with red paint. Or was it paint? She set the glass on the floor and bent beside Kenshin, prodding him tentatively. No, it wasn't paint. Paint never smelled tangy and coppery or turned brown as it dried. A sick feeling lodged itself in the pit of her stomach as she scooped up the doll and his crusted swords and whisked them off to the bathroom.

She slowly scrubbed the swords clean, drying them with the hand towel that hung next to the sink before removing her doll's clothes. She blushed slightly, even though he was just a doll. He had somehow come to be much more than that in the short time she'd had him, and so she concentrated fully as she washed his soiled clothes carefully with cold water and hand soap. Once the stains had mostly come out, she placed them on the towel rack to dry and closed her eyes as she washed off the doll's body. She finished him quickly, scrubbing him dry with the hand towel. Her brow furrowed as she pondered what to dress Kenshin in while his normal hakama and gi were drying. Well... it was night after all, so pajamas of some sort might be nice. A yukata, then, she decided, quietly creeping through the halls to Megumi's room. Surely she had extra doll clothes available that Kenshin could borrow, at least until Kaoru could make him something or coerce her mom into doing it for her. She really was helpless at womanly crafts like sewing and cooking. A sigh escaped her lips as she silently opened Megumi's door, padding softly on bare feet to the shelf that had Tomoe and Akira on it. What she saw stopped her cold.

One of the dolls, whose name she didn't know, lay on his chest, his head rolled a ways away and coated with a sticky redness. Suddenly nauseous, she turned and ran from the room, completely forgetting about finding clothes for Kenshin.

'Did he... but no... It's not possible... is it?' her thoughts were scrambled as she retched into the toilet, tears stinging her eyes.

'What happened back there?'

--

Glossary:

Bokken – a wooden sword

Tanuki – Raccoon dog; Kaoru's derogatory nickname

Hakama – basically samurai pants

Gi – the top that goes with the aforementioned samurai pants

Kata – a routine for practicing various forms of martial arts; in this fic, kendo

Saya – a set of two swords; a katana and a shorter wakizashi

Hitokiri Battousai – Kenshin's nickname back in the Bakumatsu, meaning something like "Assassin, master of lethal sword drawing"

Yukata – a lightweight sleeping kimono

AN: Mwahaha! I think I'm going to enjoy writing this story. ;D

I hereby ping uber luff at my beta and friend and the insane evil person who inspired this story, Misaoshiru. You'd be faced with many a strange sentence if she hadn't meticulously gone through and fixed all my strange grammar for me. 3


	2. Chapter 2

Eee! I didn't expect to get such a positive response on my first chapter. :D

Made me feel uber-speshul and all that fun stuff.

Well then, without further ado, chapter two!

Okay I lie. Here, some necessary ado.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own Ken dolls or Barbie dolls or Kenshin dolls, though if there IS a Kenshin doll please point me in the direction of the nearest store that carries them so I can buy one. C:

NOW without further ado, I present you with chapter two.

Chapter 2

Kaoru rubbed her eyes sleepily and groaned when the sunlight hit them. It had been impossible to sleep after finding Kenshin and the nameless doll the night before. In some corner of her mind, she registered that Megumi hadn't screamed yet this morning, so she must not know. 'Maybe I can clean it up before she sees so she doesn't think I did it out of spite after our argument...' she thought to herself, steering her feet once again towards Megumi's room. Megumi was long since up and most likely eating breakfast in the kitchen, so Kaoru didn't even bother trying to be silent as she walked towards the shelf. Bracing herself, she opened her eyes fully and stared at the spot where a decapitated doll should have been.

It was gone.

Yes, it was completely gone, with no traces of the stains anywhere or even a hint of the doll's clothing. Kaoru stared at the spot, dumbfounded, before shaking her head and piecing back together her shattered confidence. Had last night been a dream? Had she simply fabricated it after reading the story of the Hitokiri Battousai printed on the back of the box Kenshin had come in? Wait, Kenshin... If last night had happened, he would need a yukata. If last night hadn't happened, he would still be clothed and...would still need a yukata. Latching onto that thought, she popped open the box where Megumi kept extra clothes for the dolls on that shelf and rummaged about for a yukata. Finally finding one to her liking, she clutched it in her hand tightly as she walked towards her room with resolve. Maybe it had all been a dream. Maybe Kenshin hadn't been lying on the floor in her room covered with blood, instead of in his dojo next to his swords where she had placed him before bed. Maybe--

That hope was shattered as she opened her door and found Kenshin lying on his side in the dojo, a hand towel bundled around him.

'_Crap,' _was her only thought as she shakily approached the doll and peeled the towel off of him. Timidly, she wrapped him in the yukata and tied the belt, letting down his long hair and marveling at how soft and silky it was. She looked down at the doll in her hands forlornly.

"What happened last night, Kenshin? Why were you dirty? Why was that other doll hurt? Why am I the only one to know about it all?" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. Sobbing, she threw herself onto her bed and clutched Kenshin closer, trying to draw answers out of him.

But the only thing she found was sleep.

* * *

When she finally woke up, eyes still puffy from crying, she was eternally grateful that it was Sunday. Her parents never minded if their daughters slept in on weekends, so she wouldn't be questioned about that, at least. Now, the puffy eyes might pose a problem. Maybe she could practice in the dojo until her eyes no longer bore traces of her tears. Nodding resolutely, she picked up the yukata-wrapped Kenshin doll and strode towards the dojo.

"Oh tanuki..." Kaoru cringed as Megumi's sickly sweet voice interrupted her thoughts. Plastering an obviously fake smile onto her face, she slowly turned towards the offending voice.

"Yes, kitsune?" she said, just as sickeningly sweetly as Megumi had. Her sister flashed a dangerous smile and pointed to Kenshin.

"I might be wrong, but I believe he is wearing one of Akira-chan's yukata," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. Kaoru's smile widened.

"He might be. Perhaps he's finally decided that Akira-chan looks better than he does," she said, a bright fake smile stretching her mouth. 'Please just go away, please just go away...' she pleaded mentally with her sister. Megumi opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it and shook her head.

"Most likely. But if I ever catch Kenshin wearing any more of Akira-chan's clothes, I will personally take his swords and stuff them down his throat, all right?" she growled, losing all pretence of sweetness. Kaoru matched her growl.

"If you lay a hand on Kenshin, I'll beat you within an inch of your life with my bokken."

"Just don't touch my stuff, and I won't touch yours, okay?" Megumi sighed, exasperated. Kaoru thrust out a hand.

"Deal."

* * *

Kaoru sliced through her invisible opponents savagely. Ooh, sometimes she could just _kill_ Megumi. The thought brought back vivid images from the night before, and she suddenly paled, her stance wavering slightly as she brought her bokken down in a powerful strike. 

What _had_ happened last night?

If she stripped it down to the bare facts, she had found a bloodied Kenshin and a bloodied _and_ mutilated other doll in two different parts of the house during the night, and the nameless doll had been gone when people awoke the following morning.

Something very odd was going on, and she intended to find out what exactly it was.

Her gaze drifted to Kenshin, leaning against the wall, while she wound down her kata. It wasn't night anymore, so perhaps she should see if his clothes had dried? She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and set the bokken on a rack, picking up Kenshin as she trotted off to the bathroom to retrieve his clothes.

There they were, hanging on the towel rack, obviously dry. She picked up the hakama in her fingertips and was about to pull it onto Kenshin when a slip of paper fell from it. Intrigued, she bent down and retrieved it, turning it over in her hand. It was a tiny black envelope, a name printed on the front.

"Hmm?" she mumbled softly, trying to read the name.

"Kekkon Isshou...?" she drew out the name, running it through her memory. Shrugging, she slipped the envelope into her pocket and took a fully dressed Kenshin to the breakfast table. By now, it was almost lunchtime, but Kaoru filled a bowl with cereal and sloshed milk onto it. Crunching her cereal absently, she rifled through the sections of the paper until she found the comics. But the comic strips did nothing to calm her mind and answer her questions. She stared at the paper, seeing past it into the depths of her memory.

She was startled from her meditations by an annoyed tap on her shoulder. Blinking slowly, she turned to meet the cinnamon eyes of her sister.

"Kaoru," she said slightly too sweetly, "one of my dolls is missing." Kaoru paled, and Megumi smirked in triumph.

"You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him, would you?" she asked, voice practically dripping with unspoken threats. Kaoru opened her suddenly dry mouth only to discover that she had nothing to say. Her sister would hardly believe her if she said it had been decapitated and then had mysteriously disappeared the following morning.

"Ah, a-about that..." she stuttered, not certain where her mouth would take her. Megumi fixed her with a pointed look meant to encourage her to continue. A stray thought flashed through Kaoru's mind and she acted on it before her brain could protest.

"What was his name?"

Megumi blinked at the unexpected question. "Isshou-chan. But I hardly see why that's important. ...Kaoru? Tanuki, you've gone white as a sheet! What happened to Isshou-chan?"

Kaoru tuned out Megumi's distressed voice as her mind processed the new information. 'Kekkon Isshou,' she thought numbly, her hand subconsciously fingering the pocket where the black envelope was hidden. Completely ignoring her sister, Kaoru stood up from her chair and retrieved Kenshin before walking in a trance-like state towards her room. She could dimly hear her sister shout at her, calling her names and threatening harm to her belongings, but she easily shut the noises out. She wasn't in the mood to bicker. She just wanted to lie on her bed and try to come up with a reasonable answer to the mystery surrounding Kenshin. Languidly, she held him in front of her.

"Who are you?"

* * *

She didn't realize she'd fallen asleep until she woke up, the late afternoon sun shining through her window. Groaning, Kaoru flopped onto her side, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. Kenshin was still clutched in her hand, as though she'd tried to draw comfort from him as she slept. Odd how the very thing that made her head spin was what she snuggled with when the confusion overtook her. 

Shaking her head slightly, she set her protesting feet on the floor and stumbled towards her desk to finish her weekend homework. The desk was positioned in front of the window, so that light would shine on her workspace, but at the moment it also gave her a clear view of the setting sun. Fiery oranges and reds chased each other across the sky as the sunset neared its end. 'The color of Kenshin's hair,' Kaoru thought absently.

'_Or blood...'_

Kaoru shuddered at the thought and quickly turned her attention to her homework. She had school tomorrow, and she'd be mortified if she wasn't ready for it. Also, it would give Megumi something else to tease her about. Kaoru's eyes narrowed as she considered Megumi. What on earth was she going to tell her about the missing doll? What excuse could she fabricate?

Why did she need to fabricate an excuse in the first place?

'That's a good question,' she mused, tapping her pencil against the arithmetic worksheet on her desk. It wasn't as though she'd done something to the doll. She'd only seen it.

Perhaps she could just avoid Megumi and it would all blow over.

Mind at ease, Kaoru turned her gaze downwards and attempted to sort out 6th grade math problems.

* * *

Numbly, Kaoru wondered which kami she'd offended as she washed Kenshin's clothes in the bathroom sink for the second time. Perhaps she'd done something terrible and unforgivable in a past life. But whatever she had done, she fervently hoped she could atone for it. 

He had been covered with blood again, the smell knotting her stomach as she removed his clothes and found another black envelope hidden in them. She didn't even bother reading the name on this one; she knew she'd find out what it was tomorrow when Megumi asked her.

'Why?'

The question lingered in her mind as she hung the hakama and gi on the towel rack. Why was Kenshin covered with blood, and why did the dolls even _have_ blood, and why were they dying? She bit back tears of frustration as she clothed a now clean Kenshin in his yukata and stumbled back to her bedroom for yet another restless night.

'Why?' she silently asked again before drifting into dreamless sleep.

* * *

School did not agree with Kaoru this particular Monday morning. 

More than once she'd been called back down to earth by a sharp rap on the head with a ruler, or a friendly prod from a classmate when she was asked a question and didn't respond. By lunch, her thoughts had finally settled down enough for her to realize that she was at school. How she had gotten there she didn't know; her mother had probably dressed her, fed her and stuffed her onto the bus.

Kenshin was at home.

The thought chilled her as she considered the past two nights. What would happen if he was left alone all day, if he did _that_ much during the night when there were people around? Her appetite fled almost tangibly, and she pushed her tray of cafeteria food away from her with disgust.

This was going to be a long day.

--

Glossary:

Hitokiri Battousai – Kenshin's nickname back in the Bakumatsu, meaning something like "Assassin master of lethal sword drawing"

Yukata – a lightweight sleeping kimono

Tanuki – Raccoon dog, Kaoru's derogatory nickname

Kitsune – Fox, Megumi's (derogatory?) nickname - I happen to like it. xD

Bokken – a wooden sword

Kata – a routine for practicing various forms of martial arts; in this fic, kendo

Hakama – basically samurai pants

Gi – the top that goes with the aforementioned samurai pants

Kami – God, spirit, deity

AN: Well, the plot thickens?

I think.

Maybe it just kinda lengthens.

Or congeals. Yeah, that's it. The plot congeals.

I hereby give credit to the ever-wonderful Misaoshiru who named the victimized doll. His name is very appropriate, considering his brief role. Kekkon: Bloodstain; Isshou: (all) one's life, a lifetime; to the end of one's life

-pings luff at-

To anonymous reviewers: If you want me to respond to you, please include an e-mail address.


	3. Chapter 3

Fwaaaa!

You all rock, you reviewers and stalkers and everyone else who has read my story so far. C:

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters from it, nor do I own Barbie dolls or Ken dolls or Kenshin dolls.

Thank the Lord.

SO. Here's chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kaoru was pleasantly surprised to discover that her errant doll had managed to not coat himself in blood while she was at school.

'Must be a night thing, then,' she thought absently as she dropped her backpack in her room and slipped on her practice clothes. Her fingers had been itching for her bokken ever since she'd snapped out of her daze, and she was more than happy to oblige to their desires.

She hadn't taken two steps out of her room when Megumi's voice stopped her cold.

"_Kaoru._"

A tremor rippled through her body at the cold, deadly tone the word was said in. Megumi meant business.

"Kaoru," she said again, approaching her sister with calculated steps, "there are now _two_ of my dolls missing. What in the name of kami-sama did you _do_ to them?"

"Nothing," she said quickly. Too quickly. Megumi's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You lie, Kaoru," Megumi hissed, fire flashing in her cinnamon eyes. "Tell me now: What happened to my dolls?"

Under the stress of the situation combined with the near-sleepless nights she'd just experienced, Kaoru did the only thing she could: she cracked.

"Listen here, Kitsune," she seethed, anger and frustration rolling off of her in almost tangible waves. "I did not touch your precious dolls. I do not know where they are. I did not help whomever it was that took them. If you don't stop asking me about them, I will personally clobber you with my bokken. _Are we clear?_"

Megumi was taken aback, her meticulously groomed features in an uncharacteristic aghast expression. Slowly, carefully, she nodded her assent and walked back to her room, casting a wary glance over her shoulder once to be certain Kaoru wasn't following, wooden sword held high.

Kaoru, though, had turned away and hurried towards the dojo, her need for her bokken greater than ever.

* * *

It turned into a routine of sorts; every night, Kaoru would find her doll lying on the floor, covered in blood. She would wash him, change him into his yukata, and fall into uneasy sleep. The following morning, she'd receive black looks from Megumi, go about her day and simply wait for night to come again. 

Her pile of black envelopes was steadily growing.

Still, she couldn't find it in herself to hate the doll. If he really was doing what she thought he was doing... she just might help.

She never had liked Megumi's obsession.

A slightly sinister smirk curled her lips as she fingered the latest envelope. What were these for, anyway? They always had the name of the victimized doll printed on them, and she had opened one once to find tiny, precise handwriting she couldn't read without a magnifying glass.

Heck, she couldn't even read it _with_ the magnifying glass.

So the envelopes remained a mystery. Almost everything about Kenshin remained a mystery, actually.

Was he simply bored?

She tested the thought, rolling it around in her mind. It wasn't exactly as though she spent hours and hours concocting things for her doll to do. She just carted him around with her and cleaned up his messes during the night.

Perhaps he needed "human" contact.

Her thoughts instantly turned to Tomoe-chan, the pretty raven-haired doll with the brown eyes that held so much sorrow. Narrowing her eyes, she recalled how Megumi had practically challenged her over Tomoe-chan. She subconsciously rubbed her hand where her sister had slapped her, and began plotting ways to get the two dolls to meet. Her mouth quirked upwards at the corners as ideas began to form.

Challenge accepted, Kitsune.

* * *

It was different this morning, the hateful glare she could feel boring into her back as Megumi fought to keep from pummeling her. More intense. More hateful. 

More sorrowful.

Her mind returned to the night before. She'd been going through the ritual of washing Kenshin when she felt something that marred the smooth surface of his face.

A scratch.

A _deep_ scratch.

No matter how much she scrubbed at it, the blood that had settled into the scratch along his jaw refused to come out. Frustrated, she'd finally given up her attempts and settled down for the night, questions plaguing her mind.

They were answered when Megumi spoke.

"Tanuki."

The controlled emotions evident in that one word were enough to make Kaoru uneasy. Just who exactly had Kenshin offed the night before?

"Akira-chan is missing."

It felt like a piece of her soul had died with the proclamation of the words.

'I guess Kenshin did win the swordfight, after all,' she thought numbly, tears pricking her eyes.

"I want to know where he is, Tanuki. I swear, if you had anything to do with this, anything at all, I will strangle you with your own hair ribbon. After I burn your bokken," Megumi said coldly. Something in Kaoru's heart snapped.

"I've already told you! _I don't know where your dolls are disappearing to!_ If you _dare_ touch my bokken, I just might help out whomever is taking your dolls and donate a couple hundred of them to Goodwill," she threatened, voice cracking with emotion.

Megumi's eyes narrowed, but she left without another word.

Kaoru was trembling.

But she wasn't trembling from fear, or sadness, or frustration.

It was anger.

Anger at Megumi, for trying to implicate her whenever one of her precious dolls went missing. Anger at Kenshin, for daring to go after a doll Megumi obviously cared a lot about. Anger at herself, for not giving Kenshin better outlets for his cravings, whatever they were.

Anger at Akira, for dying.

Tomoe... she had liked Akira, hadn't she? They'd been engaged after all.

Surely she wouldn't want anything to do with her fiancé's killer, would she?

Except for revenge, of course.

* * *

To say she was shocked would be putting it mildly. 

It had been several weeks since the disappearance of Akira, and things had fallen back into their normal pattern.

But tonight was... different.

Most definitely different.

Kaoru washed Kenshin's clothes mechanically, mind whirling too fast to think. It had been just another normal night. She'd gone to the kitchen for her ritualistic glass of water, and had bent down to pick up Kenshin even before she registered that he wasn't alone.

Tomoe was lying in his arms.

At first she hadn't known what to think, the pattern she had become used to broken. But eventually her brain had noticed that both Kenshin and Tomoe were dirty, and from there habit had set in.

Why on earth was Tomoe with Kenshin?

The only answer she could think of in her dazed mind was that she had wanted to kill him but couldn't do it while he was awake.

But of course that was a stupid idea.

Because dolls can't think. Can't want. Can't sleep.

Can't kill.

Well, that notion had been sorely put to the test for the past few months. Before she realized it, she had finished cleaning both dolls and their clothing and had walked back into her bedroom. Sighing slightly, she wrapped Tomoe-chan securely in the hand towel and put both dolls into the popsicle stick dojo.

She needed sleep.

* * *

There's nothing better than being woken up by a frothing kitsune on a Saturday morning. 

Megumi was screeching out profanities and insults a thirteen-year-old should never have known while clutching Tomoe-chan protectively. It took a moment for the haze to retreat from Kaoru's mind, but once it was gone she understood the situation perfectly.

Megumi had found Tomoe-chan... in her room... with _Kenshin_.

Bolting upright, she blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to clear the sleep from them.

"Megumi, it's not what it looks like," she pleaded, cutting off one of Megumi's tirades.

Kaoru wondered absently if it was healthy to have skin that particular shade of purple.

"_Not what it looks like?_ Oh, _really?_ I come into your room to wake you up for pancakes and find Tomoe-chan in here with that _thing,_ and my dolls have been disappearing one by one for months, _and it's not what it looks like? _What in the name of kami-sama _is_ it then?" she spat out, eyes narrowed to slits. Kaoru took a calming breath.

"I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water last night and saw her on the floor, but I didn't want to wake you up so I brought her to my room," she said, congratulating herself for not flinching during the half-truth. Megumi stared at her intently, weighing her words. Finally, she let out a sigh, and with a shake of her head, turned to leave.

"Next time, wake me up, Tanuki," she quipped.

Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back onto her bed, a nervous smile settling on her face.

"And if I _ever_ find Tomoe-chan in here again I swear I will give your bokken to the neighbor's dog," Megumi chirped, popping her head back into Kaoru's room.

She was gone by the time a pillow connected with the door.

* * *

Stealthily, Kaoru slipped through the hallways to her sister's room. 

Megumi was at a birthday party.

Licking her lips nervously, she opened her sister's door and made her way to "the shelf".

She was slightly disturbed by how many dolls were missing from it.

'What did you expect, baka? You know how many black envelopes you have now,' she chided herself. Timidly, she set Kenshin next to Tomoe-chan so they could talk while she examined the other dolls.

She decided immediately that she didn't like Iizuka-chan.

'It,' she declared firmly. Iizuka didn't deserve to be treated as though it was alive. It was an it. Smiling slightly, she perused the shelf, eyes settling on Katsura-chan. Something about him tickled the back of her mind, and she cautiously picked him up.

And gaped, wide-eyed, when a black envelope fell from his gi.

With trembling fingers, she retrieved the envelope and stared at the name on the front.

'Keikoku Takai.'

How appropriate.

Numbly, she tucked the envelope back into Katsura-chan's gi and picked up Kenshin.

This was a development that merited some attention.

* * *

She wasn't really surprised when she found the exact same envelope in Kenshin's clothes that she'd seen in Katsura-chan's gi. Actually, she'd expected it. 

'Well,' she thought, 'at least now I know where Kenshin gets the envelopes from.'

But questions of "why", "how", and "when" continued to plague her mind. Why did he get the envelopes, how did he act on the information written in them, when did he take them from Katsura-chan?

She was beginning to get vague ideas about the answers to those questions.

"Why" might be answered this way - he got the envelopes because Katsura-chan didn't like the dolls.

"How" - He had swords. He apparently knew how to use them, considering their state every night.

"When" - She was at school for most of the day during the week. On weekends, she didn't cart him around with her everywhere, despite what her sister thought.

Still, it irked her that only _her_ doll went on killing sprees, and not any of Megumi's. It would have been fun to see Megumi's expression upon finding a blood-encrusted doll on her bedroom floor.

'When did my thoughts get so morbid?' she wondered to herself, realizing with a jolt what it was she had just thought.

More than slightly disturbed, she finished her nightly task and snuggled into her bed, content to let Kenshin watch over her while she slept.

--

Glossary:

Bokken – a wooden sword

Kami-sama – God

Kitsune – Fox, Megumi's (derogatory?) nickname- I happen to like it. xD

Yukata – a lightweight sleeping kimono

Tanuki – Raccoon dog, Kaoru's derogatory nickname

Baka – Idiot, fool

Gi – Basically a samurai shirt

Keikoku - Warning, advice

Takai - Death, the next world

AN: Well, hopefully the amount of plot packed into this chapter made up for chapter two. xD

Once again, I must thank Misaoshiru for being a totally awesome beta. -snugs-


	4. Chapter 4

Oops. -cough-

Sorry for the wait! I received a very good review on chapter three that basically made me think long and hard about my story, and I got into a sort of depressed funk as I tried to rework the plot in my head.

So I read some RK humor fics and drew some fluffy KxT and KxK pictures, and then I was able to attempt to rewrite some portions of this chapter.

...I think I just made it worse.

Probably, once I finish this story, I'll do major rewrites on most of the chapters to smooth out some kinks and to get more actual 'plot' in, and not just Remembrance arc canon.

But for now, I don't want to keep you waiting forever and ever while I try to come to terms with what I've written.

So you lucky people get a cruddy story! -dance-

Disclaimer: I dun own Kenshin or any of his friends. I dun own Barbie dolls or anything like them.

Those privileges belong to Watsuki-sama and Mattel, so don't bother me.

C:

Chapter 4:

At long last, it was summer vacation.

This was good for several reasons:

1. There was no school, which meant more time to practice kata and watch TV,

2. Megumi spent all day at the public pool, so she had less time to hurl insults at anyone and everyone, and

3. Both Megumi and Kaoru's birthdays were in summer.

Kaoru smiled brightly at the last thought. Every year, her parents would take her somewhere special for the day, and then they'd eat cake and ice cream in their kitchen.

And then, of course, there were always the presents.

Megumi would receive boxes upon boxes of dolls, while Kaoru was given kendo gear of various sorts, and sometimes people got creative and gave her the things that few people knew she liked: gift certificates to ice cream parlors, movies with more quotable lines than plot, hair accessories, and Swedish fish.

She adored Swedish fish.

Putting thoughts of gummy candy aside, she concentrated on the task at hand. She had decided that Kenshin's dojo was seriously lacking in décor and was now attempting to spruce it up with whatever she could find. So far, she'd added some rugs, curtains around the windows, a table and a couple of cushions.

'A table for two,' she thought absently, arranging the cushions.

'But there's only one in the dojo...'

The thought reminded her of her resolution to give Kenshin interaction with other dolls, and she stood up from the dojo with a smile on her face.

Megumi was at the pool, after all.

Grinning to herself, she slipped into Megumi's room and immediately set Kenshin next to Tomoe-chan. Satisfied that they were close enough to converse, she turned her attention to the other dolls once again. Her nose wrinkled as her eyes slid over Iizuka-chan's cocky grin.

'It.'

Kaoru giggled at the thought and resumed her perusal of the dolls, finally resting her eyes on one with black hair that seemed to be intent on escaping his forehead protector. Eyes that nearly matched Kenshin's in their amber intensity glared at her, a smirk painted on his lips.

She wasn't certain she wanted to know his name.

There were other dolls on the shelf; Okami-chan smiled cheerily, her graying hair tied up neatly. Some dolls smiled, some glared, some smirked, and some just stared.

But only one had deep, deep sorrow etched into her expression.

Though Kaoru thought she saw a hint of a smile flicker across her face...

* * *

The days melted into each other like the blue mud ice cream Kaoru loved so much. 'Blue mud' was her personal name for a two-scoop ice cream cone, one of chocolate and the other of blueberry. 

But at any rate, summer was passing quickly.

Every day, Kaoru would take Kenshin to visit with Tomoe-chan while she examined the other dolls. It had taken some careful questioning, but she'd managed to get Megumi to tell her the names of most of the dolls on "the shelf".

"Hello, Okita-chan, Saito-chan," she nodded to each doll, and then glanced through the sea of dolls. "And hello to you, too, Souzo-chan, Ikumatsu-chan."

Satisfied that she'd greeted her favorite dolls, besides the ones she'd learned of first, she cut herself off from the world and began to daydream.

Tomorrow was Megumi's birthday.

This meant, of course, that her sister would spend all day at the mall and then come home to a few mountains of new dolls.

She wondered if any of them would be for this shelf.

Smiling widely, Kaoru shook herself free from her thoughts and turned her attention back to Kenshin. Once she deemed that he'd spent long enough talking to Tomoe-chan, she scooped him up and waltzed out of the room...

...And straight into Megumi.

To say Megumi was furious just might be putting it mildly.

To say she was frothing and screeching would probably be more accurate.

"Tanuki," she shrieked, drawing out every syllable of the hated nickname, "what in the name of kami-sama are you doing in my room?" Kaoru was suddenly glad that it was Megumi's birthday the next day; it gave her a reasonable excuse.

"I haven't gotten your present yet, and I wanted to make certain I didn't get you a doll you already have." The lie easily fell from her lips. Megumi closed her mouth and gave Kaoru a considering glare.

"Well whatever. Get out of my room," she growled, flouncing past her sister.

Kaoru grinned inwardly. She was getting better at fooling Megumi!

'_Yeeessss!'_

* * *

Kaoru was grinning. 

It was a grin that threatened to outshine even the happiest grins of the pink-clothed dolls in Megumi's room. One could practically hear an announcer in the background, proclaiming the wonders of some toothpaste while Kaoru's teeth sparkled away like jewels.

Megumi was at summer camp.

The very thought had her grinning like an idiot again, and she practically sang as she skipped through the house, ready to practice kata until her arms fell off.

'No more insults, no more black looks, no more nicknames,' she thought to herself as she gracefully ran through her kata.

And best of all, Megumi would be absent for Kaoru's birthday.

She could just kiss her parents.

Not only would she be free of Megumi's insults for a month, she also wouldn't receive a gag gift from her, like she did every year.

Last year it had been a bath set, complete with shampoo, body wash, and conditioner.

There had been a card with the gift, a scathing comment written inside about how a certain sweaty Tanuki should pay more attention to bathing.

This year, she was _free._

And she fully intended to enjoy every second of it.

Setting her bokken on the rack, she skipped towards her room to retrieve Kenshin so he could spend some quality time with Tomoe.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

After a couple of days, Kaoru got the bright idea to simply have Tomoe move into Kenshin's dojo. 

It was, after all, a table for two.

She found it odd, however, that the same day she decided that Tomoe should live with Kenshin was the day that most of the dolls from "the shelf" mysteriously worked their way onto the other shelves throughout the room.

Brushing it off as a coincidence, she concentrated on finding something she could use as a futon for each doll. Up till now, Kenshin had had to sleep standing up.

'That can't be comfortable,' she mused as she rummaged about, searching for anything futon-like. Eventually her questing hands felt something squishy and firm, and she eagerly brought whatever it was to her face.

A piece of foam met her gaze, and she smirked in triumph.

But wait.

_A_ piece of foam. _One_. Not two.

'Oh well.'

* * *

For the first night in months, Kaoru didn't have a black envelope to add to her collection. 

At first she had simply been confused when, upon returning with her glass of water, the spot on her floor that Kenshin usually occupied was strangely empty.

Thinking that perhaps he hadn't finished yet, she'd gone back to the kitchen and drank her water there, setting her cup on the counter.

But he still hadn't appeared.

Curiosity aroused, she glanced about her room.

And saw him lying quite happily on top of the 'futon' with Tomoe-chan.

A slow, secret smile spread across her face as she bounced into her bed and snuggled underneath the covers.

Tomoe-chan had been just what he needed.

Kaoru loved being right.

* * *

Oh, summer was glorious. There were no more midnight murders, Megumi wasn't around to taunt and tease her, and her birthday was quickly approaching. 

She wondered if Kenshin would give her a present.

Mentally slapping herself, Kaoru briskly turned towards the dojo to practice for the day. Of course he wouldn't get her something. It wasn't like he was human. It wasn't like he lined his gi with yen.

She would know by now, considering how many times she'd washed it.

Still, she couldn't help but wish...

Groaning, she picked up her bokken and attempted to clear her thoughts.

'I will not attach human qualities to inanimate objects, I will not attach human qualities to inanimate objects...' she chanted to herself, squeezing her eyes shut.

'...Aww, who am I fooling. I even 'attach human qualities' to my _bokken_, for kami's sake. Now, let's kill some air, bokken!'

* * *

Kaoru opened her eyes slowly. Suddenly, she bolted upright, a lopsided smile on her face. 

It was her birthday.

The first things she did were picking up Kenshin and Tomoe and skipping towards the kitchen. The smell of pancakes assaulted her senses, and she paused, sniffing appreciatively.

"Happy birthday, Kaoru."

Kaoru's eyes snapped open and she flashed a smile at her father as he ruffled her hair affectionately. She took his hand when he offered it, and the two of them walked into the kitchen together.

Once she had settled down with a plate of pancakes, she turned to her father again.

"So where are we going today?" she asked, squirming slightly. Her father smiled from behind his newspaper at her impatience.

"There's a kendo tournament today that we thought we'd see," his smile widened at her squeal of excitement, "but that's not until the afternoon. So, you can pick where we go this morning."

Kaoru squinted her eyes as she brought a finger to her pursed lips. Where could they go...?

Her face broke into a smile when she decided.

"Can we go to that sword museum we used to visit all the time?" she suggested, already wondering if they had any new swords or kendo gear.

"Of course, Hime. Now, eat your pancakes."

Still grinning, Kaoru happily obliged.

* * *

It had been a thoroughly exhausting, and satisfying, day. A satiated smile spread across her face as she flopped onto her bed, thoughts still on the presents she had just opened. 

Someone had given her ice cream certificates.

She grinned, fingering the slips of paper in her pocket. Suddenly, she felt something that was most definitely not paper. Curious, she tugged on it and brought it to her eyes.

A blue hair ribbon.

And a note.

With shaking fingers, she spread the paper open and read it.

"Happy birthday, Kaoru."

It was so simple, but it was written in tiny, precise strokes on a small piece of paper that she recognized as coming from her scrap pile, and the ribbon itself was the exact same hue as her eyes. Tears welled in her eyes as she fingered the paper fondly.

'_Best birthday ever.'_

* * *

Kenshin and Tomoe-chan weren't on their 'futon'. 

Brow furrowed, she glanced around the room. She was certain she had tucked them into it before she'd taken her bath. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.

Maybe Kenshin had gotten another black envelope.

Panic rising in her, she ran towards Megumi's room.

But neither doll was there.

Of course, that did wonders for her current state of mind.

Not.

Blind panic seized her, and she rushed through the house, searching for the dolls. If he had left her...

She caught a faint coppery scent wafting in through the kitchen window.

Never breaking stride, she rushed through the back door.

And witnessed the single most horrifying scene of her life.

It was everywhere; absolutely everywhere. It coated the lawn, spattered the bushes and was spread liberally across the ninja dolls, Tomoe-chan and Kenshin.

It ran down Kenshin's cheek from the cross-shaped scratches, one of which was fresh.

It stained the ground underneath Tomoe-chan's mutilated body, or what was left of it.

Blood.

So much blood...

A tear slipped down her cheek as she sank to her knees.

'No...'

She had been too late, always too late to stop Kenshin from hurting others, from hurting himself. Every time a doll turned up missing, the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.

Now that Tomoe was gone...

Numbly, she picked up the two dolls, feet set on the familiar path towards the bathroom.

She wasn't going to let Tomoe-chan disappear unless Kenshin caused it himself.

Once both dolls were clean of blood, except for the deep scratches on Kenshin's cheek, she opened the door to her room and set Tomoe-chan on the 'futon'. Kenshin, she clutched to herself tightly as she crawled underneath her covers.

He needed comfort tonight, and by the kami she was going to give it to him.

She could have sworn she felt tears soaking her nightgown as she drifted into sleep...

--

Glossary:

Kata – a routine for practicing various forms of martial arts; in this fic, kendo

Tanuki – Raccoon dog, Kaoru's derogatory nickname

Bokken – a wooden sword

Kami – God, spirit, deity

Hime – Princess

AN: Well, that's the last of the Tomoe arc. -sniffle-

And uhm.

Happy birthday to Kaoru.

n.n'

Just a couple notes for those of you who care.

"_movies with more quotable lines than plot"_

I was thinking of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "The Princess Bride" when I wrote that. I honestly have no idea where the Swedish fish came from.

Ask my muse.

And hey, whaddya know. I'm a big 16 year old girl now. Woohoo. -eats cake-

Once again, I must ping uber-luff at my beta, Misaoshiru. Without her, this fic would become twice as scary due to strangely worded sentences and bad grammar. -cue spooky music-

The KxT moments are hereby dedicated to my beta. :D


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, the last chapter.

This is where we discover why on earth the dolls actually _have_ blood, and why Kenshin is bothering to kill them if he already did this whole shebang in the Bakumatsu and regretted it afterwards.

In other words, here is where I fit in the prologue that refused to be a prologue. :D

And here is your KxK fluff, at long last. -cue fangirl squee-

Disclaimer: I don't own RK, any of the characters, or barbie dolls. Dun sue me. :C

--

Chapter 5

_:So this was death._

_It felt like floating, he thought dimly, hyper-aware of everything around him._

_He was jolted out of his hazy mindset when a booming voice echoed through the fog.:_

-

He looked like a doll.

Kaoru considered the doll in her hands, the one that had been alive in some fashion until Tomoe's death. Now, whatever light had been in his fierce amber eyes was gone, the crackling aura of life that had surrounded him missing.

Her eyes narrowed at the challenge.

'_I will make you live again._'

Life glimmered ever so faintly in his eyes at the silent vow.

-

_:"Himura Kenshin, you, along with several other individuals, have been cursed for your sins in the Bakumatsu."_

_A sinking feeling filled his being as he awaited his punishment.:_

-

Kaoru and 'her Kenshin' were inseparable during the following years. Everywhere that she went, the doll went with her, either held in her hand or sticking out of her bag or pocket.

She shared everything with him; he was her private friend, the one person she could confide everything in. He listened to her childhood troubles, and as she grew and her problems became more complicated, he gave silent advice and helped her sort out her thoughts. The voice she imagined him to have was soft and comforting but full of understanding and wisdom.

He solved her problems, and in turn, she solved his.

The loneliness she saw in his eyes during unguarded moments was heart-wrenching; she swore many times to cure him of that loneliness.

It was the little things she did that finally dispelled the darkness that seemed to enshroud him.

It was her smile every morning and her little touches during odd moments of the day, the way she clung to him in moments of fear or weakness.

Or maybe it was the goodnight kiss she planted on his forehead every night.

Whatever it was, he soon began to respond in kind, leaving things around the house for her on the rare occasions that he found himself alone.

It wasn't much; a ribbon on her bokken handle, a package of Swedish fish beside her bed.

But they were special things. They were the things few people knew she liked.

And so they healed each other.

-

_:"You are hereby condemned to relive your life as a hitokiri in a form where you will not harm other human beings."_

_The sinking feeling turned into the beginnings of nausea as he recalled all of the people he had slain during his life.:_

-

Kaoru could not count the times she had run out of the house to for an ice cream cone at her favorite shop, Kenshin in hand. It warmed her that he was always there for her, to keep her company when nobody else would.

He was there for her when she won her first kendo medal.

He was there for her when she had her first crush, and the subsequent heartbreaking.

He was there for her when she received the letter of acceptance for the college of her choice.

And, in turn, she was there for him when the pain of loss became too great.

She was there for him when the crushing weight of all the lives, whether human or no, caught up with him.

She was there for him when his eyes turned from hard amber to a liquid violet.

-

_: "This curse will only be broken if a human causes you to shift mindsets from hitokiri to rurouni, as you managed to attain yourself through ten years of wandering."_

_Hope surged through him as he clung to the words.:_

-

And then he disappeared.

-

_: "You will remember none of this, nor any of your past life."_

_Suddenly he was falling, crashing through time and space and being squeezed into plastic confinements._

_Somewhere in a factory, amber eyes snapped open.:_

* * *

It felt like her heart had been shattered and then ground into tiny pieces before being thrown to the wind and scattered to the four corners of the earth. 

It _hurt_. Oh, kami, it hurt.

They had been constant companions for eight years, and then he suddenly disappeared. At first she had assumed that her cousins Ayame and Suzume had gotten their hands on "Ken-nii" and were off pulling his hair out in another room.

But then they'd come to her asking for their Ken-nii.

And she _knew_ something was wrong.

Her frantic searches were fruitless. Once she'd calmed enough to make flyers, she had spent days riding through town on her bike, tacking up notices anywhere she could.

She felt like a little girl looking for a lost puppy.

But she didn't care.

Kenshin was so precious to her; during the eight years she'd had with him, he had influenced her time and time again.

And she'd fallen in love with him.

There were times when she was disgusted with herself for falling for a mere doll, but then she looked at his swirling amber eyes with the hints of violet behind them...

And all reason for resisting was lost.

Those eyes were not the eyes of a 'mere doll'. They were the eyes of a tortured human, someone who had seen the uttermost depths of sorrow and survived multiple brushes with death.

She had helped him through those times when his life caught up with him, when she felt his tears on her shirt for the dolls' blood he had spilt.

She _knew_ he had emotions, a personality, a heart.

Life.

And he had _disappeared_.

And that was what hurt.

That he should have human emotions, that he should be her very best friend, and then leave her...

It _hurt_.

Many nights passed before she could fall asleep without tears staining her face, and even then, the absence of tears was because she had none left.

She had no more tears to shed for her doll, her friend, her Kenshin.

And suddenly she didn't care.

He had left; obviously, he didn't want to be in her company any more. No amount of weeping would bring him back.

So she moved on.

* * *

She tried so hard to forget him. 

Two years had passed by silently; she was halfway through college, earning a degree in teaching. There had been boyfriends, there had been college buddies, and there had been attempts at drowning herself in her studies, but nothing could erase him from her memory.

Nothing could block out the pain, the _ache_ in her chest when she thought of him.

She had not returned home for vacations these past two years. Going home would mean seeing her room, the dilapidated popsicle stick dojo, the hair ribbons he had given her...

It would mean remembering. And if there was one thing she didn't want to do, it was remember.

But this year she had to return home; she had avoided it long enough.

These were the depressing thoughts that chased each other through her mind while she drove home, the road long and the sky dark.

It was time to lay her past to rest.

* * *

As she neared home, her tired eyes began to pick out familiar sights, landmarks connected with childhood memories. 

In that field, she'd taken Kenshin kite flying. A hawk had ripped a gash in the fish-shaped kite, though.

On that rock, she'd stood with a hand over her eyes as she waited for her father to come home from his three-week road trip, Kenshin clutched tightly to her chest.

In that store, Kenshin had helped her find the perfect gift for Megumi as she left for medical school.

In that park, she'd almost lost Kenshin when a four year old picked him up while she was on the swings and couldn't hold on to him.

Her eyes watered at the memories. Each image from her past tore at her fractured heart and shot a dart of pain through her chest.

There would be no more opportunities to create memories.

That thought hurt more than memories themselves did.

* * *

Finally, she was home. Her parents had fawned over her the way they were expected to after not seeing her for two years, but she couldn't shake the melancholy that had settled over her during the trip down memory lane. 

Her mother pressed an ice cream certificate into her hand and told her to get something to cheer herself up.

With a sigh, she snapped on her bicycle helmet and hopped onto her bike, slightly rusty from so many years with no use.

If the memories were going to come anyway, she might as well get them over with.

A hollow feeling welled up in her as she subconsciously reached behind her to secure Kenshin in her backpack, only to find no backpack and no Kenshin.

'Kenshin...'

Shaking her head wistfully, she pedaled towards the ice cream shop.

She blinked and stared at the building in front of her.

Had it... shrunk?

No...she just hadn't been here since she was small. Of course it would seem larger when you took up less space.

She shook her head slightly and walked through the door, the tinkle of bells so familiar and haunting. Eyes on the price list, she strode toward the counter to wait in line.

'The prices haven't changed too much,' she thought absently, already wondering if they would remember her special name for a blueberry-fudge two scoop.

"And one blue mud," the person in front of her said liltingly. Her eyes widened at the name. She was the only one who used that name...! She stared at the patron's back, and suddenly her blood ran cold.

There, half-stuck in his backpack, was Kenshin.

It could only be her Kenshin; his hair faded, just as she remembered, his eyes that bright liquid violet, the cross-shaped scratch on his cheek.

But something about him seemed... off.

She reached out a hand to touch him just as the patron in front of her turned around. Quickly retracting her hand, she glued her eyes to the floor, embarrassed.

"Kaoru..."

Her eyes widened. How had he known her name? Suddenly there was a blueberry-fudge two scoop ice cream under her nose. Slowly, tremulously, she lifted her gaze to his face.

Kind violet eyes, swirling with some unnamed emotion, met her questing glance, and she gasped as she took in the red hair that framed his face, the cross scar on his left cheek, the amber flecks hidden beneath the violet. Gently, he reached behind himself with his free hand and held the doll in front of her.

"I believe this is yours," he whispered, something akin to regret in his voice as he pressed the doll into her trembling hands.

It was him, the doll that had disappeared that night eight years ago... and yet it wasn't him. There was no light in his eyes, no life surrounding him.

Everything that she'd fallen in love with about him was gone.

But this man...

A determined gleam in her eyes, she raised her face to look at the man, still holding the 'blue mud' for her.

She searched his expression, reaching out her ki to feel for the aura she knew so well.

Her soul cried out in completion as the jagged edges of her torn heart began to knit themselves together again, his presence soothing her emotional wounds.

"Thank you," she choked, tears welling in her eyes as a genuine smile touched her lips, "Kenshin."

--

Glossary:

Bakumatsu – The war Kenshin fought in

Bokken – a wooden sword

Hitokiri – Manslayer, assassin

Rurouni – Wanderer

Kami – God, spirit, deity

Ki – A person's aura

AN: And that is the end of Doll's Blood.

A reviewer asked if there would be a sequel- the answer is maybe. I think it would be fun to follow the lives of the other dolls, like Saitou, and maybe have some dolls come back to haunt the happy couple.

Mwahahaa.

Thanks for all the reviews, support and general ego-boosting from all of you throughout this story! I promise to go back and fix approximately everything once I get back from my various summer camps. C:

Until my muse strikes again,

Jupe-san


End file.
